As a long term resident of the north side of Chicago, I am familiar with a building in Niles on west Touhy Avenue that was built to resemble the historic Leaning Tower of Pisa. However, I knew little of its history.

     Robert Ilg was a successful businessman who owned a business Ilg Hot Air Electric Ventilating Company.  In the early 1920’s, he built a 22 acre park for his employees.  This was located on West Tuohy in Niles, Illinois.  The park had two outdoor swimming pools.   Seeking to preserve the natural beauty of the area, he proposed  a half sized replica of the Tower in Pisa, Italy.  The Niles  building was to conceal the water tower for the outdoor swimming pools.The

     The Niles Tower was to be 94 feet tall, 28 feet in diameter and leaning 7.4 feet tall. It was to be built of reinforced concrete.  Construction extended between 1931 to 1934.

  The Ilg recreation park also featured a wooden toboggan slide which has long since been demolished.

     In 1960,the  descendants of Robert Ilg donated part of the park for the construction of the Leaning Tower YMCA.    Arrangements were made to turn over the Tower to the YMCA.  The Y was obligated to spend $500 annually to maintain the the Tower and adjacent area.

     Over the years, the Tower began showing signs of deterioration.  In 1995,the village of Niles leased the Tower and adjacent area from the YMCA.   A 1.2 million dollar renovation project was started.  Concrete in the Tower was repaired. New lights were added to each of the 8 floors.  A plaza was constructed around the Tower.  This had four fountains, a 30 foot reflecting pool and new landscaping.  The Leaning Tower Plaza was dedicated bin June of 1997.  In April of 2019, the Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    The historic bells in the top of the Tower were restored and re-installed.  Two of the bells were replaced. There are currently 7 bells in place.The

     Work has been completed on the installation of new railings along the outdoor walkways.  Eventually, it is planned that people will be able to climb the Tower.

     

     Four Mile Cove Ecologic Preserve is located in Cape Coral near Veterans Parkway.  It is 365 acres. It is a brackish water wetland.

     It features a walking trail, visitors center, a Veteran ‘s Memorial area, and kayak rentals.

   On the south side, is the Veterans Memorial Area with several memorials.

     A recent addition to the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers is an antique carousel built in 1927 by the C.W. Parker Company.  The carousel is 36 feet wide and has 20 horses.

    Prior to being at the Shell Facory, the carousel was operated for 25 years at Saint Augustine ‘s Davenport Park.   After its last operating day, the carousel was dismantled and shipped to North Fort Myers.  It was then refurbished with sandblasting the horses, repainting them.  New floorboards were installed as well as LED lights

     Prior to being in operation in Saint Augustine, the carousel was at the Fort Wayne Zoo and the Wisconsin Dells.  The history prior to this is uncertain.

     

Trail Marker

Trail

Trail

    The Calusa Nature  Center  and Planetarium is a non for profit environmental education organization located in Fort Myers.  The facility  is located  0n 105 acres.
     Included in the facility is a natural history museum with live native and teaching animals.  There are exhibits of plants and animals of SW Florida.
     There is a 44 feet in diameter planetarium seating  90.  The planetarium features fulldome full surround.  Shows take place 7 days/week.   Shows change on a monthly basis.
     There are three nature trails, a butterfly house, and a raptor aviary.

Koreshan Park is a state park in Lee County, Florida.  It was added to the National Register  of Historic Places on May 4, 1976.  It is the site of a religious  colony, the Kordeshian Unity.  Its last member deeded the property  to the state of Florida  in 1961.Informational  Sign       The Koreshan  Unity was a religious communal utopia. Its founder was Cyrus Teed, a medical d8 from Utica, New York.  The community started in New York in the 1870’s.  He moved to Chicago  where his followers  formed a commune in 1888 called Beth Ophra.  The community  relo6 to Estero, Florida  to form the New JerusalemPlanetary  Court The Planetary Court  Building  was constructed  in 1904.  Seven women  comprised  the Planetary Chamber which was the governing  council of the Koreshan  Unity.  These women  lived in this three story building.  Each had her own room.    The exterior  of the building  was covered in heavy kraft paper to eliminate drafts in the winter  and to protect against insects.   Furniture in the building originally  came from Chicago.   Day to day business  of the settlement was conducted by the sisters  of the Planetary Court. Art Hall       The Art Hall was built  in 1905 by professors and students  of the Koreshan Pioneer University .  The Hall served as the cultural, social, educational and religious center for the Koreshan Settlement.  Theatrical  productions, lectures and musical events were part of the life of the community.  Public events drew large crowds Inside the building are paintings of Douglas Arthur Teed (founder’s son) as well as other Koreshans.  Original scientific exhibits and musical instruments are on displayFounder’s House This two story house was built in 1896.  It was also known  as the Teed House  and the  Children’s School It is the oldest surviving structure on the settlement built by the Koreshans.  This is the first building which used milled pine siding instead of logs.   This building has had many renovations and additions      The 1909 renovations included installation of masonry veneer  to the existing structure and a plan to double its size.Hedwig Michel Memorial    
  Hedwig  Michel was the last Koreshan to live at the Settlement.  She died in 1982.  Under her leadership  the Koreshans donated 305 acres to the state of Florida  in 1961. This property would become the Koreshan State Historic Site and Mound Key Archaeological State Park.Bamboo Landing      The Bamboo Landing was built in 1894.  Its site on the Estero River was important for providing a means of transportation to the outside world.  It was used for passengers and freight.  It provided a framed entrance to the Koreshan Community.  The bamboo used in the construction is said to have come from the Ford Estate in Fort Myers. There were four mounds constructed in 1904-1905.  They were four feet high and ten feet in diameter      The Koreshan bakery was built in 1903.  It is a two story building located to the west of the dining hall.  The bakers produced 500 to 600 loaves bread a day.   The second floor of the building  had four dormitory rooms.  Originally,  the bake ovens connected to the south side of the building.      The Conrad Schlender Cottage dates t the 1903.  The style of the building is Florida Wood Frame Vernacular.  The vertically pitched roof is designed to shed rain quickly The vertical siding allows for rain runoff.      The Vesta Newcomb Cottage  was originally located on Imokalee Road.  It was owned by Lou Staton.  It was moved in 1937 to the north of the Koreshan Unity Library.  Staton used the building as his residence  and barbershop.  In 1940, there was another move into the Koreshan Unity Settlement.  Vesta moved into the cottage.      This building was constructed in the early 1900’s.  It eventually housed electric generating for the community

   The large machine shop was built in 1904.  It was built to contain the steam power machinery that served the adjacent laundry .
     The line shaft mounted in the ceiling provided power to the laundry and various machinery.  Several special tools and machinery were designed here.



     The Small Machine Shop was built in 1905.  In this building machine parts and kitchen items were fabricated.  Time pieces and shoes were repaired.

 

     The historic Colquitt Building is located at 1528-1544 Broadway (corner of Main and Broadway)in Fort Myers.  It was built in 1925 by  former Michigan realtor realtor and owner of the Caloosahatchee Bridge Company.  The building style was Spanish Mission.